Numan presses on

Thursday

Feb 27, 2014 at 2:14 AM

'80s pioneer Gary Numan moving forward

Dan Kane CantonRep.com entertainment editor @DKaneREP

“I find it a most fascinating and exciting time to be in a band,” said Gary Numan, the British singer-composer-musician best known for his 1979 robotic dance hit “Cars”and his influential electronic sound.

Bluntly disinterested in nostalgia, Numan, 55, has plowed forward, releasing 20 solo albums and continually evolving musically. His latest release, the heavily industrial “Splinter (Songs From a Broken Mind),” has inspired critical praise, and a U.S. concert tour that will arrive March 19 at Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom.

Here is an interview with Numan, conducted via email. Some of his replies have been edited and tightened for length.

Q. What are some of your memories of the new-wave ‘80s, when music videos were so influential? Do you miss that era?

A. “If I’m really honest I don’t miss it at all. I don’t even miss yesterday, though. I have absolutely zero interest in my past or of reliving yesteryear. Tomorrow excites me, the future excites me. The future is full of possibility, the past is done and over. I don’t want to waste a second of my life looking back, either to smile or feel regret. I do remember that the music-video revolution quickly became a nightmare of outrageously escalating prices where even a simple little film could cost $250,000, and then nobody would show it. The Internet saved us from all that.”

Q. What can people expect from your live show in Cleveland, musically and theatrically?

A. “Lots of new album, not too much old stuff although, having said that, I think a third of the set has songs from ‘The Pleasure Principle,’ ‘Replicas’ and ‘Telekon’ albums which are all pre-1980 or thereabouts.

I play very little from the middle years but quite a lot of the more recent heavier industrial stuff. Luckily ‘Splinter’ has had some of the best reviews of my entire career so I feel confident basing the set around the new album. Theatrically, it’s energetic and aggressive but I’m not making costume changes or anything of that sort. We simply get on stage, play some loud and angry stuff for 100 minutes or so, and then get off.”

Q. You’ve been cited as a musical influence by scores of musicians, which must be very rewarding. Have you met or collaborated with any of them?

A. “It’s cool to be mentioned as an influence, especially by so many people who are pretty legendary in their own right. To be honest though I don’t really hang out too much. I have three small children and a lovely wife that take up most of my life. I’ve worked with a few though in recent times, either on stage or in the studio. Nine Inch Nails, Battles, Fear Factory for example. Songs covered or sampled by Foo Fighters, Basement Jaxx and a long list of other cool people.”

Q. Are you ever influenced by any of them?

A. “I must be influenced by them, I think it would be almost impossible not to. But, in truth, I’ve always been influenced by the music around me. I honestly believe that a vital part of being creative is to be sponge-like, to absorb everything you see and hear, mix it with ideas in your own head and create something new from the mix.”

Q. You’ve been performing and recording fairly steadily all of these years. How would you characterize your fan base?

A. “Evolving. As a lot of older fans fall away, due to the inevitable responsibilities and commitments that age brings, so newer people are coming in. I’m in a very fortunate position in that the music is now very aggressive and appeals to an entirely new generation of people that perhaps don’t even know about my earlier stuff. It’s an interesting process for me. Obviously I don’t want to lose a single fan, for any reason, but it’s an inevitable part of growing older that some people find they can no longer indulge their love of music to the same degree as they could when they were younger.”

Q. Your latest music, particularly “I Am Dust,” connects with me on a primal level. Did you have fun making the record and would you say the album has been a success for you?

A. “I had a lot of fun making the album as it all came very easily. I had no creative blocks. I just plugged the gear in and everything started to flow immediately. Has it been a success? I think so. It charted in the U.K., my first chart album for many years, the reviews have been amazing pretty much the world over. An album is there to justify touring and to get music placed on film, TV and in other areas. It’s a very different world musically to the one I joined back in 1978. You adapt, or you can say goodbye to your career.”

Reach Dan at 330-580-8306 or dan.kane@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @dkaneREP

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